DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's Description)
Advances in the treatment of childhood cancer have resulted in markedly
improved survival rates. However, with these advancements, cancer survivors
now face the long-term consequences of treatment with intensive,
multimodality therapies. While the majority of prepubertal girls and
adolescent females retain or recover ovarian function during or immediately
after completing cancer therapy, preliminary data indicate that many of
these young women are at risk for premature menopause in the future. We
propose to study, in a cohort of young adult survivors of cancer diagnosed
during childhood/adolescence, the prevalence of early menopause, risk
factors for the development of early menopause, the impact of an early
menopause on quality of life and psychosexual functioning. The study cohort
will consist of 5,500 young adult female survivors of cancer diagnosed
during childhood and adolescence, selected from a larger population of
survivors of childhood cancer, the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS),
and 3,000 sibling controls. Data will be collected using a
self-administered questionnaire and will include the following topics:
menstrual history and menopause status, covariates of menopause,
health-related outcomes associated with premature menopause, and
standardized instruments which measure quality of life and psychosexual
functioning. Detailed information concerning cancer diagnosis and
treatment, including cumulative drug dosages and radiation fields/doses,
will be known for all study participants, facilitating the study of
end-points of interest. The large size of the study population, the
heterogeneity of diagnoses and exposures, combined with the extensive
treatment data, will allow assessment of interaction between the major risk
factors of interest.